Springfield daily republic. [volume] (Springfield, O. [Ohio]) 1887-1888, 1887-09-10
UNDER THE GROUND.
A VISIT TO WONDERFUL MAN.
MOTH CAVE DESCRIBED.
How Came the Great Hole I'm the Earth.
The Question An.wered-How = Man
Left Alone In the Cave All Night Lost
HE Reason.

L.ft Alone In the Cave All Night Lost
HE Reason.
Special Correspondence
MAMMOTH CAVE, Ky, Sept ct is {
new world which one finds spread out befors
him down in this great hole in the ground
A Journey underground brings YOU into closer
relationship with the mighty forces Of natur,
than you ever We're before. You are moi
long down in these winding caverns until you
begin putting the questions 10 yourself, How
came it soi" What made itl' Your Own
eyes will find an answer for you If YOU hui
use them intelheently When nature up
heavei the limestone crust of the earth, which
is the geological characteristics Of this part o!
Kentucky. she left therein numerous small
fissures and irregular openings. In a rocky
bed near by flows Green river, whose waters
ages ago, found their way into these cracks
between the rocks. During centuries without
number the waters have been at their silent
~ork. carving out this underground palace.
No, their work was not all silently done, foi
now and then huge masses OF rock loosened
and fell from the sides and roofs Of the cav
erns, awaking strange echoes down in the
gloomy depths Occasionally 20 this day
masses Of rock fall down, widening or eleyat-
ing the limits Of the chamber. but leaving SC
much more debris for visitors 10 climb over.
Centuries ago Green river mus; have risen 10
Q higher level than now. or have been more
frequently swept by freshets, for at this time
the waters of the stream find their way only
to the lowest level OF the cave. These cav
erns, which speak 50 eloquen.ly Of the eternal
forces Of nature. Of her infinite persistency
are not all on the same level They wind in
and out, up and down, following the lines Of
the original fSsures which gave them Ell
trance
You have not proceeded far upon your sub,
terranean journey. however. before all
thoughts of causation are lost In contempla-
tion Of the magnificent results. II is with
difficulty that You become interested in the
ruins of the saltpeter works, about a mile
from the caves mouth. where. in 1872, patri-
otic miners gathered and prepared gunpow-
der inter for the young republics armies. II
seems TO you a sacrilese that SO prosaic and
worldly an occupation as gunpowd-r making
should ever have been carried on III these
fantastic recesses. By and by the guide halts
all your lantern carriers in a big, high
vaulted irregular chamber, and tells YOU. in
Q voice that sounds strangely like an echo,
that this is the Methodist church. and there,
on that high projecting rock. Its pulpit,
wherein regular services were held Years ago
and scores of sinners brought TO repentance
By accident you have been for a moment
separated from your companions and left
alone. You realize that there is no such love
illness in ali the world beside as in the Nam
moth cave There is a tradition here Of a
br f;yo orr,ils from,
the mouth: he spent the night all alone in the
cavern--it is always night here-and WAS
found by the guides early next morning
But be did not know them; nor has he known
anybody since. Though still living his life is
all dar kness. He must be a resolute man. a
stole, who could pass many hours alone and
lost in Mammoth cave and preserve his
rslson. Yet such cases are not unknown.
William Garvin, q black man, once lost his
way and finally his light when several lies
nom the mouth. He found his way out by
feeling his steps, one by one, inch by inch,
the terrible journey requiring the better part
Of two days and nights But William Garvin
was, and still is, guide, to whom the cave
u . home He knows every foot Of the I'M
derground journey. every rock and stalactite,
and for his knowledge and services Is paid
the munificent sum of $40 = month.
The guides tell a story Of another black
man-a slave. Before the war his master,
being in search of amusement, took the slave
far into the cavern, blindfolded, left him
there, and offered him his liberty if he would
make his way out alone and unaided Ac-
cording to the story, the slave accepted the
terms like a brave man, struggled on in the
darkness, and, after All entire week Of terror
and hunger, emerged into Gods sunlight, a
free man. though torn aud bleeding in .
thousand places.
For . couple Of miles through what il
known As the main cave the walking is easy
enough through a wide ball, over floor al
most as smooth as pavement. But suddenly
the black guide turns round huge rock and
plunges down "a hole. To all appearances be
Is going straig LIT for the center of the earth
Hesitatingly You and your companions fol-
low. You brace yourself against the walls
Of the hole, find the best footbolt you can and
let yourself down, down. Presently the
guides voice echoes back in ghostly tones
from the head OF the line. Fat Mans Mis-
cry" This tells You that You are approach
ing the famous pass L. moment you are
within it. The path becomes wearily level
once more, but II contracts until II is simply
. little channel about big enough for a
healthy woodchuck. The water has worn in
the rock a ditch not more than eighteen
inches wide and in places no more than
twelve The roof Is 80 low that You must
and in places YOU must get down and crawl
like burrowing rodent. Yet ali pass safely
through. and at each step find themselves
Al 60 ,Ia;